Baby boomers everywhere got to experience some legendary hard rock tunes in the year 1970. Let’s revisit just a few of the most memorable hard rock hits from the era. If you were a youngin’ when these tracks hit the airwaves, I bet you still remember them by heart.
“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath from ‘Paranoid’
“Paranoid” could easily be the most memorable Black Sabbath song out there. But, considering how many bangers and massively influential songs the heavy metal band dropped in their heyday, it’s difficult to say “Paranoid” is their best. It’s a memorable song either way, one that would go on to be a proto-punk heavy metal classic.
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“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath was a No. 4 hit on the UK Singles chart, though it missed the Top 40 in the US.
“All Right Now” by Free from ‘Fire And Water’
The chorus of this song just sounds like the early 70s. Free’s hard rock banger “All Right Now” is easy to love, whether you’re a fan of hard rock or not. And turn on any classic rock radio station today, and you won’t have to wait long to hear this incredible tune.
“All Right Now” by Free was a No. 4 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and a No. 2 hit on the UK Singles chart.
“Love Like A Man” by Ten Years After from ‘Cricklewood Green’
Remember this bluesy hard rock number from Ten Years After? “Love Like A Man” was surprisingly the band’s only hit in the UK, peaking at No. 10 on the UK Singles chart. Despite being such an influential band, “Love Like A Man” would only barely make it to the Hot 100, and their only Top 40 hit on that chart would be “I’d Love To Change The World” from 1971. That’s pretty wild to me, as “Love Like A Man” is a solid song.
“Black Night” by Deep Purple
Unsurprisingly, Deep Purple makes it to our list of hard rock songs from 1970 that baby boomers still love. The boogie rock jam “Black Night” was a fast hit on the UK charts, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Singles chart, though it wasn’t a smash in the US. Despite that, “Black Night” is in constant rotation on American classic rock radio today.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – American Rock musician David Lee Roth, of the group Van Halen, performs onstage at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, March 4, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of XTC; Terry Chambers, Colin Moulding, Andy Partridge and Barry Andrews (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns) -
Hammersmith Odeon London 1977 -
Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images -
Photo by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
ohn Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival performs live in Rotterdam, Netherlands in April 1970. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns) -
English musician, singer and songwriter George Harrison (1943 – 2001) leaving a recording studio in Twickenham, London, 16th January 1969. (Photo by William Lovelace/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)